With the rising cost of college, some students may be facing barriers in getting their basic needs met, but food resources on Oregon State University’s Corvallis, Ore. campus and in the city can help students find nutritious, budget-friendly meals. 

The Human Services Resource Center Food Pantry at OSU offers free food boxes for pick up every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Champinefu Lodge, located at 1030 SW Madison Ave., with alternate pick-up times available by appointment.  

The HSRC also runs the Healthy Beaver Bag program where student ID holders can pick up a bag of ingredients to make a given recipe for the week. The bags are distributed every Friday from noon to 2:30 p.m. at the back porch of Champinefu Lodge.

The HSRC also runs a Twitter account that alerts students to free food opportunities on campus at the handle @eatfreeOSU, as well as occasional cooking classes advertised on their social media accounts. 

Some other on-campus options, including Mealbux, Full Plate Fund and Food for Thought, offer Corvallis campus students discounted fresh and pre-packaged meals at campus dining halls. To apply for these programs, students simply need to fill out OSU’s Food Assistance Application for consideration. This application will also screen students for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal resource for food security. 

Aside from on-campus resources, the state of Oregon has expanded eligibility for SNAP benefits, meaning many students are able to gain benefits not previously available to them. 

Other food banks outside of campus, such as Linn Benton Food Share and South Corvallis Food Bank, can support community members and students with access to food.